Meet the maker

Château d'Esclans

In a very short time, Chateau d'Esclans has become one of the benchmark estates of Provence, producing some of the most compelling, but light, pale and delicate rosé wines of the region. While an old estate, with ...

Expert review

“One notch down from the Provencal producer’s top wine, the barrel-fermented Garrus, the Chateau d’Esclans rosé does without the overt new oak nuttiness of its £70 big brother. Instead this rosé displays a gentle smokiness, fragrant fruit and a wonderfully refreshing finish.”

James Suckling , JamesSuckling.com, January 2018
A review of the 2013 vintage

“A blend of Grenache, Rolle, Cinsault, Syrah and Tibouren ... it has great character with lovely ripe, red fruit, plenty of acidity and a herbal, spicy finish. ”

Jonathan Ray, The Spectator
A review of the 2013 vintage

“It's now been 8 years since Sacha Lichine took on this property, and this rosé cuvée makes the most of local ingredients, being made from 80% Grenache, 10% Rolle as well as a combination of Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre making up the final 10%. Strawberry fruit, Pink Lady apple crunch and with a lively, pretty finish. Perky summer drinking.”

The Wine Gang
A review of the 2013 vintage

“Soft pink colour. Nose herbal and refined; notes of jasmine and cherry. Chewy and mouthwatering. A white wine in style and good with food.”

16.5 points

Decanter Magazine
A review of the 2013 vintage

“With the revelatory 2013 vintage changing the trajectory of this wine, by drying out and lengthening the finish, the 2014 builds on this precision with a clean, mineral sharpness which brings tension to the soft, lush, red berry fruit. This crunch balances perfectly with the lovely, powder-puff texture and it increases the allure exponentially. The quantity of bottles made here has sky-rocketed of late but the quality continues to improve year on year – how many wineries can boast of this skill? Drink now – right now! ”

18 points

Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com, 25th September 2015
A review of the 2014 vintage

“The overriding plus factor about this wine, produced by Château d’Esclans owner Sacha Lichine in Côtes de Provence, is its finesse. Pale pink, it has a subtle, peach character with a fine, dry finish. If rosé is your thing, this is almost impossible not to like.”

Will Lyons, The Wall Street Journal, 21st May 2015
A review of the 2014 vintage

“From the very beginning (ex Mouton Rothschild) winemaker Patrick Léon crafted a lighter style of rosé, and this very much errs on the side of being fresh, clean, mineral with a white peach expression. The style has been very closely maintained over the past 10 years, even as the grape sourcing has grown exponentially. This is unoaked, vinified in stainless steel tanks, kept chilled at every stage of the process. From a blend of Grenache, Rolle, Cinsault and Syrah, all hand-harvested. Easy to see why this works so well.
”

91 points

Jane Anson, Decanter Magazine, May 2016
A review of the 2015 vintage

“The colour is the palest coral pink. The texture is fast-becoming a d'Esclans hallmark - gossamer silk with magical slipperiness offset with tangy, citrus pink grapefruit notes and cool, river-stone minerality. This is a perfect Whispering Angel and it will appeal from the moment it is poured into your glass until the last sunset next summer.”

Matthew Jukes, January 2017
A review of the 2016 vintage

“As every year rolls by Whispering Angel reaches out to thousands more palates… the remarkable thing about this wine is that while its fame grows exponentially, the quality in the glass continues to march forwards, too... it will continue to shine in the glass and impress all-comers throughout 2018.”

17.5 Points

Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com, December 2017
A review of the 2017 vintage